Liquid discharge apparatus



7, 1956 J. K. BLANCHARD ETAL 2,757,823

LIQUID DISCHARGE APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2' Original Filed Jan. 8, 1954 I United States Patent 2,757,823 7 LIQUID DISCHARGE APPARATUS James K. Blanchard and Joseph E. Wood, Wallace, N. C., assignors to Carter Insecticide & Chemical Co., Inc., Wallace, N. C., a corporation of North Carolina Continuation of application SerialjNo. 402,915, January 8,1 This application March 22, 1954, Serial No. 4 4 v 6 Claims. (Cl. 222-155) This is a continuation of our copending application for patent, Serial No. 402,915, filed January 8, 1954, now Patent No. 2,750,080.

, This invention relates to liquid discharge apparatus and is more particularly concerned with apparatus adapted to vbe connected to a hermetically sealed liquid container for discharging the contents thereof at a constant rate of flow.

An important use of the present invention is in the field of agriculture where it is desired to apply liquids, such as liquid fertilizers, soil fumigants, insecticides, fungicides, and other parasiticides, from a moving vehicle to the soil in a uniform manner. used for these purposes are highly corrosive and they are supplied in hermetically sea-led drums by the manufacturer. One of the objects of this invention is the provision of means for. dispensing theliquid directly from the drum to the soil in a uniform manner without danger of the liquid leaking or splashing out of the drum or otherwise coming in contact with corrodible parts of the tractor or other vehicle, or with persons using it. i p

\ Another object of the invention is the provision of such an apparatus which will give apositive control to the flow of the liquid, notwithstanding the fact that the liquid level in the container constantly changes.

A further object of the invention is the provision of such an apparatus containing means for refilling the container without removing the apparatus from the contamer.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of apparatus of the type mentioned which is compact and which can be made of parts readily available and which requires only a few parts that can be quickly and easily assembled.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more fully from the following description considered together with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention, partly broken away, connected to a liquid container mounted on a supporting bracket of a vehicle, the container being of the type that is not provided with a refilling aperture by the manufacturer.

Fig. 2 is a similar view of another embodiment of the invention connected to a container that is provided with a refilling aperture.

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view of a fragmentary portion of the screened orifice section.

Referring with more particularity to the drawings in which like numerals designate like parts, the embodiment of Fig. 1 is illustrated in connection with a steel or other metal drum 11. Containers of this type are conventionally used to transport liquid materials, such as soil fumigants, of which ethyl bromide, a highly corrosive liquid, is an example, liquid fertilizers, insecticides, fungicides, and other parasiticides. Drums of this Many, chemicals ice type are conventionally provided with a threaded discharge outlet 12 on one side wall, plugged with a removable cap (not shown). The specific type of drum shown in Fig. 1 is not provided with a separate refilling aperture.

The apparatus of this invention is connected to the threaded discharge outlet 12 by means of a nipple 13 and comprises a cross coupler or manifold 14. The inner horizontal branch 15 of the manifold is connected tothe nipple 13 and the opposite branch 16 is connected to one end 17 of an elbow pipe 18. The other end 19 of the elbow pipe 18 is connected to a vertical pipe20 which extends upwardly above the top of drum 11. The upper end of the pipe 20 is provided with a cup-shaped or flared end 21 which has a removable threaded cap 22. A vent tube 23 having an outer threaded end 24 is tapped in to one side of the pipe 20 below the cap 22, substantially as shown.

The upper vertical branch 25 of the manifold 14 is connected to a transparent plastic guage tube 26 by means of a nipple 27 held on a reducer fitting 28 with a coupling nut 29. The tube 26 extends upwardly to a point above the drum 11, and thence to the other end of. the drum where it is connected by. a coupling nut 30 to a nipple 31. v The nipple 31 is the terminal end of a tubular perforator or foraminator device 32 the purpose of which is to puncture a hole in the top of the drum and communicate the interior thereof above the liquid level with the tube 26 as described in our said copending application for patent.

. The lower verticalbranch 33 of the manifold 14 is connected to the upper side of a stop cock 34 by means of a nipple 35. Thelower side of the stop cock is connected to a screen orifice section 36, said section comprising a tubular portion 37, the upper end of which is, threadedly connected to the stop cook 34. The lower end of the section 37 carries a tubular filter screen 38,-,

a disc 39 having a calibrated orifice 40 therethrough, and the flange 41 of a nipple 42 heldin place by a coupling nut 43. A plastic discharge outlet tube 44 is connected to the nipple 42.

In actual operation, the drum 11, with the apparatus connected to it, as explained above, is attached to a bracket 45 or other suitable support of a tractor 46 or other suitable agricultural vehicle or implement. A calibrated orifice disc 39 is selected to give the desired rate of flow. This may be selected in reference to the operational speed of the vehicle or any other factors involved in the particular application to be performed. Upon opening the stock cook 34, liquid flows from the drum through the branches 15 and 33 of the manifold 14, through the screen member 38 and thence through the calibrated orifice 40 of the disc 39. As the level of the liquid in the drum falls, air is drawn in through the vent tube 23, pipes 20 and 18, manifold 14, into the interior of the drum, thereby maintaining a substantially uniform air pressure on the interior of the drum. However, air flowing into the drum by means of this arrangement, does not pass through the calibrated orifice 40 and hence does not interfere with the flow of liquid therethrough. Since the stop cock 34 is turned to its fully opened position, there is also no throttling action at that point to aifect the rate of flow of the liquid. Also, there will he an unbroken column of liquid between the orifice 40 and the manifold 14, substantially undisturbed by the counterfiow or air above. Hence, a solid head of liquid for a substantial distance above the orifice is presented.

Since the tube 26 communicates with the interior of the drum, the pressure on top of the column of liquid in the tube will be the same as the pressure on top of the liquid in the tank. Hence, the level of the liquid in the tube will give a true indication of the-level of the liquid in the tank when the stop cock 34 is closed. Guage markings 47 on the vertical pipe 20 are provided to indicate the volume of liquid in the drum from the level of the liquid in the tube. 7

When it is desired to refill the drum, the coupling nut 30 is disengaged from the .upper end of the member 32 by unscrewing the coupling nut 30. This end of the tube is then connected to the threaded end 24 of the vent tube 23. The cap 22 is then removed and the liquid is poured into the top of the pipe 20. The disengagement of the end of the tube 26 from the member 32 permits displacement air to exhaust through the upper-end of said member Connecting the end of the tube 26 to the vent tube 23 prevents the spilling of any of the liquid from the tube 26 or through the vent tube 23. This is especially important in the cases of corrosive liquids that are dangerous to handle.

The embodiment illustrated in Fig. 2 is for use with a.drum 50 of the type. which is provided with a filling aperture 51 having a removable cap 52 thereon, and is essentially the same as the embodiment previously described, except that the perforator member 32 is dispensed with and. there is substituted therefor a nipple 53 on the cap 52 to which the gauge tube 26 is connected. Also, there -is substituted for the pipe 20, a smaller breather tube 54 having .its. upper end open and above the top or the drum. The tube 54 may be provided with vertically spaced gauge level rings 55 which also encircle and support the lower portion of the gauge tube 26.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. Apparatus for discharging liquid at a constant rate of flow from a hermetically sealed tank having a discharge outlet, comprising a cross coupler manifold having two horizontal branches and two vertical branches, one of the horizontal branches being adapted to be connected to the discharge outlet of the tank, a vertical pipe connected to the other horizontal branch, one of the vertical branches extending upwardly, a gauge tube having one end connected to said upwardly extending vertical branch, means for communicating the other end of the gauge tube with the interior of the tank above the liquid level thereof, the other vertical branch extending 4 downwardly, a stop cock having one side connected to the last mentioned branch, and a tubular section connected to the other side of the stop cock, said section having a calibrated orifice therein and a discharge pipe connected thereto.

2. Apparatus as defined by claim 1 in which the vertical pipe has a removable cap at its upper end, and a vent tube on t h e side of the vertical tube below the cap,

3. Apparatus as defined by claim 2 in which the means for communicating the other end of the gauge includes a coupling member and receptive means for said coupler member on the outer end of :said vent tube.

4. The combination of a hermetically sealed container having a gravity discharge outlet, a vertical tubular conduit, said conduit having, an inlet connected to the discharge outlet, a stop cock in the conduit below said inlet, a breather tube exterior to the conduit having one end above the tank and the other end communicating with the conduit at a point above the stop cock, and a member within the conduit below the stop cock, said member having a restricted calibrated orifice for the controlled passage of liquid through the conduit.

5. Apparatus for discharging liquid at a constant rate of how from a hermetically sealed container comprising a vertical tubular conduit, a member in said conduit having a restricted calibrated orifice, a stop cock above the member, said conduit having an inlet above the stop cock, and a breather tube exterior to the conduit above the stop cock having one end communicating with the interior of the conduit at a point adjacent the inlet, said orifice being restricted in area relative to the inlet and stop cock.

6. Apparatus as defined by claim 5 in which the calibrate'd orifice member is removably disposed in the conduit.

lketerences Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 493,377 Schlueter Mar. 21, 1393 1,262, 22 Iriipe June 11, 1918 1,665,490 Aebli Apr. 10, 1923 

1. APPARATUS FOR DISCHARGING LIQUID AT A CONSTANT RATE OF FLOW A HERMETICALLY SEALED TANK HAVING A DISCHARGE OUTLET, COMPRISING A CROSS COUPLER MANIFOLD HAVING TWO HORIZONTAL BRANCHES AND TWO VERTICAL BRANCHES, ONE OF THE HORIZONTAL BRANCHES BEING ADAPTED TO BE CONNECTED TO THE DISCHARGE OUTLET OF THE TANK, A VERTICAL PIPE CONNECTED TO THE OTHER HORIZONTAL BRANCH, ONE OF THE VERTICAL BRANCHES EXTENDING UPWARDLY, A GUAGE TUBE HAVING ONE END CONNECTED TO SAID UPWARDLY EXTENDING VERTICAL BRANCH, MEANS FOR COMMUNICATING THE OTHER END OF THE GAUGE TUBE WITH THE INTERIOR OF THE TANK ABOVE THE LIQUID LEVEL THEREOF, THE OTHER VERTICAL BRANCH EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY, A STOP COCK HAVING ONE SIDE CONNECTED TO THE LAST MENTIONED BRANCH, AND A TUBULAR SECTION CONNECTED TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STOP COCK, SAID SECTION HAVING A CALIBRATED ORIFICE THEREIN AND A DISCHARGE PIPE CONNECTED THERETO. 